Improvement in lanterns



.1. STRASZER.

Lantern.

Patented Jan. 27, 1863.

No. 37,529. A

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN STBASZER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN LANTERNS.

" Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37.529, dated January27, 1863.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN STRASZER, of St. Louis, in the county of St.Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvenientin Lanterns; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a lantern wiih my improvement applied to it;Fig. 2, a vertical central section ofthe same, taken in the line x x,Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a plan or top view of the same, with the upper part o-fthe lantern thrown back to expose the lamp.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in theseveral gures.

lliis invention consists in a novel way of securing the bottom of thelantern, which contains the lamp, to its upper p irt, as hereinafterfully shown and described, whereby the two parts cannot become detachedand the lamp portion lost or mislaid, a contingency of frequentoccurrence in using ordinary lanterns, the invention at the same timeadmitting of the lamp being very readily exposed when it is required tobe lighted, trimmed, or extinguished.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, l will proceed to describe it.

A represents the upper part of a lantern, and B the lower part. Thesetwo parts may be constructed in the usual way, and theretore do notrequire a minute description. The lower part, B, has the lamp Cattachedvto it as usual, and said part is connected atits upper edge tothe lower edge of part A by a hinge, a, (see Fig. 2,) which admits ofthe upper part, A, being turned over in a horizontal position to exposethe lamp O for convenience of lighting or extinguishing the same. Whenthe upper part, A, is turned or adjusted in a vertical position itslower edge ts within the upper edge of the part B, as shown in Fig. 2, aange, b, which encompasses the lower part of A resting on the upper edgeof B. Within the pai-t B there is secured a spring, D, which may beconstructed of a steel rod, bent in circular form, and attached at itscenter to B, the ends of said rod being bent outward and passing throughoblong slots c in the part B. This spring D, by its elasticity, has atendency to bear or press against the inner side ot' B, and to saidspring, near each end, there is attached a vertical plate, d. The upperends of these plates are bent over toward the inner side of B, so as toform convex surfaces at their upper sides, as shown at c, and the lowerends of said plates are also bent toward the inner side of B, as shownat f. (See Fig. 2.)

To the inner side of the lower part, A, of the lantern there areattached two pins, g, which, when the parts A B are connected in closecontact, are below the upper bent ends, e, of the plates d, the ends eforming catches to hold A to B. In consequence of the upper surfaces ofe being rounded, or of convex form, the pins g are allowed, when A isturned in a vertical position, to press inward the plates dand pass downunderneath the catches e. ln order to release the catches efrom the pinsg, the operator simply presses the outer ends of the spring D towardeach other, which throws inward the plates (l. By this simplearrangement the bottom B ot' the lantern cannot be lost or mislaid, asit is permanently attached to the upper or main part A, and at the sainetime the lamp C may, by actuating the spring D and turning over the partA, be exposed with the greatest facility for lighting, trimming, orextinguishing the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the hinge and springcatch, when applied to lanterns,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

JOHN STRASZER.

Witnesses J. HOLTZINGEE, BENJAMIN HORTON.

